Nurses all over the internet think Jack's death on 'This Is Us' could have been avoided

Sunday night’s episode of This Is Us finally revealed the reason behind Jack Pearson’s death. Although there’s no question that it was devastating, some fans aren’t so sure about the medical accuracy of what happened, and are even saying that Jack could have very easily been saved.

The cause of death of Milo Ventimiglia’s character, Jack Pearson, was revealed on Sunday’s episode of This Is Us. (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)

Following numerous episodes that hinted at a destructive house fire caused by a faulty Crock-Pot, audiences were given the full story of Pearson family’s heartbreaking loss. Although Rebecca, played by Mandy Moore, revealed the ultimate cause of death to be a deadly “widowmaker” heart attack as a result of smoke inhalation, some fans are pretty mad about it. In fact, a lot of people are saying that a simple, standard procedure could have saved the beloved character’s life.

I’m not a doctor or nurse, but have successfully watched every episode of #GreysAnatomy (hello Kepner being fired) to know that Jack could have been saved if he was intubated!! The hospital killed Jack! #justiceforJack#ThisIsUs

All across Twitter, nurses are coming forward to explain that Jack needed to be intubated and that he just wasn’t. It seemed obvious to medical professionals watching that the hospital needed to tend to much more than Jack’s visible scars. Nurses suggest that the show’s medical staff should have addressed his oxygen levels after they realized that his burns were caused by smoke inhalation.

According to Dr. Richard Katz, director of the George Washington University Heart and Vascular Institute, who discussed what a widowmaker heart attack is with Time magazine, smoke inhalation isn’t necessarily related. The sudden instance of this particular type of cardiac arrest is instead related to a build up of plaque blocking the left anterior descending artery. If Jack were to have had a pre-existing condition, the stress of the fire would be enough to lead him into a widowmaker heart attack.

Just a little nurse logic here to comfort you- Jack would have died from a heart attack eventually. He already had plaque build up in the coronary arteries (thats how “widowmakers” work). The smoke inhalation just sped up the inevitable by stressing the heart. #ThisIsUs

But as per the information provided in the episode, the Pearson patriarch had no known history of cardiovascular problems. For the sake of television, it’s likely that the definition of a widowmaker was made broader — for dramatic effect. Regardless, it will take a long time for fans to accept the loss.

I think every nurse out there is still needing closure for Jack’s death #thisisus